Skip to content

Finally, Parking Meters Where Bikes Belong

Sacramento sends cyclists a clear sign that it's okay to hitch your bike to a parking meter.


Sacramento sends cyclists a clear sign that it’s okay to hitch your bike to a parking meter.

The City of Sacramento is converting defunct parking meters into officially sanctioned bike racks, the Sacramento Bee reported last month. After replacing its traditional meters with solar-powered, Muni-style pay stations, the city came up with this nifty purpose for otherwise useless infrastructure.

One hundred meters have been converted so far. If successful, the city will give more old meters the bike rack treatment.

This is a great idea, but we have to ask: Why not outfit active meters with bike racks too? Is it that inconvenient for drivers to reach over a bike while they feed the meter?

Photo: Sacramento Bee

Photo of Ben Fried
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

Fewer Cars On Queensboro Bridge Means It’s Time To Take A Lane For Increasing Cyclists

July 15, 2026

Pedestrian Fatalities Drop Again, But More Needs To Be Done, Says Governors Group

July 15, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines: Delay Tactics Edition

July 15, 2026

Not So Fast: DOT Won’t Fix the Deadliest Parts of Canal Street First

July 14, 2026

‘Unsafe Disaster’: New Yorkers Ask Mamdani Charter Panel To Cut Street Redesign Red Tape

July 14, 2026
See all posts